MMWD Director Cynthia Koehler to Receive Bay Institute Honor

Cynthia Koehler

Congratulations, MMWD Director Cynthia Koehler! On Thursday, April 11, 2013, Koehler will receive The Bay Institute’s Bay Heroes Award. The newest of the annual awards given out by The Bay Institute, the Bay Heroes Award was created in 2011 to honor individuals whose efforts have led to increased protection of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

Koehler, who is also the director of programs for Carpe Diem West, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of healthy headwaters throughout the Western United States, was chosen for the award for her service as the California water legislative director for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Koehler served as a chief negotiator for the historic 2009 Bay Delta Water Reform Act and led the State Water Resources Control Board’s 2010 decision, for the first time, to establish public trust flow criteria for the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary.

Koehler will receive her award at The Bay Institute’s annual recognition event this Thursday to honor selected individuals for their outstanding achievements in protecting and restoring the San Francisco Bay. The evening will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a reception in the lobby of the Bay Theater at Aquarium of the Bay before the awards ceremony commences inside the theater.

Since 1992, The Bay Institute has recognized people within the community that have continually shown support for and made significant contributions to the San Francisco Bay and its watershed. The Bay Institute is the leader in protecting and restoring the entire watershed which drains into San Francisco Bay.

Koehler represents Mill Valley and surrounding communities on the MMWD Board of Directors. She has been on the board since January 2005. This year she is serving as the chair of the MMWD Finance Committee.

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New General Manager Krishna Kumar Joining MMWD in December

Krishna Kumar

The MMWD Board of Directors recently appointed Krishna Kumar, currently the general manager of the Valley of the Moon Water District in Sonoma County, as MMWD’s new general manager. Kumar has extensive experience working in the public sector and in the drinking water business. He will take over at MMWD on December 10.

Kumar was selected from a large field of extraordinary candidates from across the western states. Board President Cynthia Koehler noted that Kumar’s deep local background makes him particularly well suited for the position. Koehler added, “MMWD faces many challenges, including long-term water supply reliability, financial stability, environmental stewardship issues and conservation issues. Krishna’s strong base of knowledge regarding the North Bay water picture, his involvement in many environmentally sensitive issues and his management experience, will be extremely valuable to MMWD. We look forward to having him join us.”

Kumar has been the general manager of the Valley of the Moon Water District in El Verano since 2004. Previously he was a finance division manager at the Sonoma County Water Agency. Before immigrating to the United States in 1992, Kumar served as a senior manager at the Reserve Bank of India.

MMWD Facilities and Watershed Manager Tom Cronin has been serving as MMWD’s interim general manager for the last several months.

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Help Us Celebrate 100 Years at MMWD Open House May 5!

The Marin Municipal Water District is hosting an open house this Saturday, May 5, in celebration of the district’s 100th anniversary and to say “Thank you!” to our customers. Please join us for refreshments, giveaways, kids’ activities, historical displays, demonstrations and guided tours of MMWD’s water quality lab and operations center. The free, family-friendly event will be 10:00 a.m. to noon at the district’s corporation yard at 220 Tamal Vista Boulevard in Corte Madera.

MMWD received its charter on April 25, 1912, making it California’s first municipal water district. Before that, water in central and southern Marin was provided by a number of small, private companies, many of them subsidiaries of real estate developers. To ensure a reliable water supply, the citizens of Marin came together to create a publicly owned and managed water system. In the process, they also lay the foundation for the perpetual protection of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed—today a primary source of drinking water for 185,000 Marin residents.

The district is also celebrating its centennial with monthly guided naturalist hikes on the watershed, special species monitoring and trail and habitat restoration programs, the publication of a pictorial MMWD history book by Director Jack Gibson, and other special events throughout the year. Visit the centennial page on our website to see what’s coming up.

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MMWD Turns 100 This Week!

This Wednesday, April 25, 2012, will mark 100 years since MMWD received its charter as the first municipal water district in California.

Before that, water in central and southern Marin was provided by a number of small, private companies, many of them subsidiaries of real estate developers. To ensure a reliable water supply, the citizens of Marin came together to create a publicly owned and managed water system. In the process, they also lay the foundation for the perpetual protection of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed—today a primary source of drinking water for 185,000 Marin residents.

To celebrate “a century of service and stewardship,” and to say thank you to our customers, we are hosting two free public events: First, we’ll mark the big day with a special program this Wednesday, April 25, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in our corporation yard at 220 Tamal Vista Boulevard in Corte Madera. Dietrich Stroeh, MMWD general manager during the 1976-77 drought of record, will be the keynote speaker. Due to space limitations, reservations are required.

Then on Saturday, May 5, we’ll be hosting an open house from 10:00 a.m. to noon in our corporation yard. Plan to bring the whole family and join us for tours of our water quality lab and operations center, historical displays, demonstrations, refreshments and special activities just for kids. No need to register—just drop by and help us celebrate!

We’re also celebrating throughout the year with monthly guided naturalist hikes on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed and other special events. To see what’s coming up—and to learn more about MMWD’s history—visit the centennial page on our website.

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MMWD Holding Public Workshop on Proposed Water Rate Increase on Thursday, March 29, 6:30-8:00 pm

The Marin Municipal Water District is holding an informational workshop on Thursday, March 29, on a proposed 6-percent water rate increase that would take effect for water use as of May 1. The purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for customers to learn more about the district’s finances in general and the reasons for the proposed water rate increase in particular in an informal setting. There will be ample time for questions and answers. The workshop will be held in the MMWD Board Room, 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

The proposed rate increase would go into effect for water used beginning May 1 and for meter readings beginning July 1. If passed, the average customer’s bill would go up by $5.63 per two-month billing period, increasing from $94.44 to $100.07. The average customer uses 21 CCFs* of water in a two-month billing cycle and is billed at the district’s Tier 1 rate. MMWD has a four-tiered rate structure and a separate meter charge. Approximately 70 percent of MMWD customers keep their consumption at the Tier 1 level in the summer and almost 80 percent do so in the winter.

Even with the proposed rate increase, the water MMWD delivers to customers costs slightly more than 1/2 cent per gallon.

The Board of Directors will vote on the proposed rate increase at a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael.

*One CCF, or hundred cubic feet, is 748 gallons.

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Bay-Friendly Coalition Recognized at Clean Tech Innovation Conference

The Bay-Friendly Landscaping & Gardening Coalition, of which MMWD is a founding member, has been recognized as one of California’s “Top 40” Clean Tech Innovators for 2011 by Grow-California, an elite group of investors dedicated to growing a green economy. The Coalition received a certificate of recognition at Grow-California’s November conference in Oakland, where they rubbed elbows with other “Top 40” innovators such as Tesla Motors and Google.

The Bay-Friendly Coalition is a nonprofit organization working to promote sustainable landscaping and gardening practices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bay-Friendly gardening practices work in harmony with nature to conserve water and other valuable resources while reducing waste and preventing pollution. MMWD has sponsored Bay-Friendly workshops and classes for home gardeners and professionals, and is joining with the Coalition, Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, and North Marin Water District to host Marin’s first Bay-Friendly Garden Tour on May 19, 2012.

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MMWD Vegetation Ecologist Honored at 2011 California Invasive Plant Council Symposium

by Janet Klein

Each year at its annual meeting, Cal-IPC honors members who have shown exceptional dedication and creativity in protecting California’s wildlands from invasive plants, and this year MMWD’s own Andrea Williams was among the honorees. Andrea received the Ryan Jones Catalyst Award, “for creatively spearheading actions or creating partnerships that make exceptional progress in protecting California from invasive plants.” Specifically, Andrea was recognized for her role as a founding member of the Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN).

BAEDN is a collaborative partnership of regional land managers, invasive species experts and concerned citizens. BAEDN coordinates Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) to infestations of invasive plants, proactively dealing with new outbreaks before they can grow into large and costly environmental threats. This “stitch-in-time” approach prevents the environmental and economic damage caused by these invaders; educates citizens regarding natural resource stewardship; and dramatically reduces the need for the planning and resources required to control large, established invasive plant populations. BAEDN currently boasts 83 federal, state and local partners. Here at MMWD, staff and volunteers participate in BAEDN through the district’s Weed Watcher Program.

MMWD Vegetation Ecologist Andrea Williams

It should also be noted that Andrea was the most “decorated” attendee at this, the 20th annual Cal-IPC conference. She was festooned with ribbons for her many roles as Cal-IPC board member, conference sponsor, staffer, presenter and award winner. Andrea—your colleagues here at MMWD salute you!

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Slide Repair Work Will Close Popular Roads on Watershed

Three popular roads on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed will be closed intermittently this fall for slide repairs, a result of heavy rains last spring.

Work has already begun on Sky Oaks Road, the main route to the watershed. Traffic control will be in place today through Friday, October 19-21. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes. Next week, the road will be closed to all traffic Monday through Friday, October 24-28. The repair work will continue until late November.

We also will be closing sections of Concrete Pipe Road and Shaver Grade periodically weekdays for slide repair work. The work is expected to begin this month and continue into January. Every effort will be made to open the roads to hikers, bikers and equestrians after work hours and on weekends.

For updates, check marinwater.org or follow us on Twitter (@thinkbluemarin).

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Bay Area Receives $30.9 Million from Prop. 84 for Regional Plan and Water Projects

Funding to Pay for Conservation, Recycling, Habitat Restoration and More

The San Francisco Bay Area has been awarded $30,093,592 in Proposition 84 funds to carry out projects to improve Bay Area water resources. This award complements $842,556 in planning funds from Proposition 84 to update the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan.

Proposition 84, passed by voters in 2006, provides $5.4 billion for habitat restoration, water resources improvements and water quality benefits. Of this total, integrated regional water management (IRWM) programs in California will receive $1.0 billion in funding, of which $138 million is dedicated to the San Francisco Bay Area. The $30.9 million in implementation and planning funding announced this past week is the first allocation of the $138 million of Proposition 84 IRWM funds for the Bay Area.

“Proposition 84 funds make possible high-priority water resources management projects in the Bay Area,” noted Paul Helliker, General Manager of the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) and current Chair of the Bay Area Coordinating Committee. The Committee is the regional oversight group for IRWM programs in the Bay Area, composed of representatives of water supply, wastewater treatment, and flood control agencies and environmental regulatory, resource management and non-governmental organizations. Helliker added, “Over the next 20 years, water resources management agencies are planning tens of billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure and ecosystem improvements, and these state grant funds fill important niches.”

Integrated Management Plans

The Bay Area IRWM Coordinating Committee has received $842,556 to revise the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The IRWM Plan was adopted in 2006 by Bay Area counties, cities, water and sanitation districts, flood control agencies and non-profit agencies to define priorities for regional water management projects and guide state grant funding decisions. The plan update, expected to be completed in 2013, will incorporate the latest information on climate change impacts, and will include a compilation of best practices to adapt to rising sea levels and changes in precipitation. The Marin Municipal Water District will be managing the plan update, on behalf of the Coordinating Committee.

Implementation Projects

$30,093,592 of the Proposition 84 funding announced last week will be dedicated to various water resources projects that were proposed for funding in January of 2011 by the Coordinating Committee. The Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA), a joint powers partnership among wastewater management agencies in the Bay Area, and a principal partner in the Bay Area Coordinating Committee, will manage this grant. The funding will be used for the following programs and projects:

Project	Total Cost	Prop. 84 Grant Funding
Water Conservation
Regional Water Conservation Program	15,359,557	8,952,685
Water Recycling
* North Bay
Marin Municipal WD Peacock Gap Recycled Water Extension	10,136,000	500,000
Las Gallinas Valley SD Novato South Service Area Project	11,631,000	500,000
North Marin WD Novato North Service Area Project	11,392,000	500,000
Sonoma Valley CSD Recycled Water Stage 1 Project	5,000,000	500,000
Napa SD State Hospital Pipeline Construction Stage 1 Project	3,057,000	500,000
* East Bay
EBMUD East Bayshore Phase 1A-I-80	2,186,000	741,000
CCCSD Concord Recycled Water Project	4,200,000	1,030,000
DSRSD Central Dublin Recycled Water Distribution and Retrofit Project	4,100,000	1,130,000
* South Bay
South Bay Water Recycling Industrial Expansion and Reliability	5,503,000	2,485,000
* West Bay
San Francisco PUC Harding Park Recycled Water Project	8,436,000	2,114,000
Wetland Ecosystem Restoration Projects
Sears Point Restoration	18,306,981	1,250,000
Bair Island Restoration	3,185,375	1,250,000
Pond A16/17 Restoration	9,300,000	1,250,000
Regional Green Infrastructure Program
San Pablo Avenue Green Infrastructure Spine	4,220,882	2,315,882
Hacienda Avenue Green Street Improvements	4,632,556	1,999,999
Napa Valley Rainwater Harvesting	328,335	250,000
Water Quality Improvement/Flood Management/Ecosystem Restoration in Disadvantaged Communities
Stream Restoration in the North Bay	265,000	200,000
Floodplain Mapping for Disadvantaged Communities	841,550	656,550
Stormwater and Flood Control Improvements Pilot Project in Bay Point	185,000	160,000
Richmond Shoreline and San Pablo Flood Control	315,000	85,000
Pescadero Creek Flood Reduction and Habitat Improvement	103,000	103,000
Pescadero Creek Steelhead Monitoring	154,810	119,310
Floodplain and Watershed Restoration in East Palo Alto	310,800	230,000
Steelhead and Coho Indicator Monitoring	503,166	378,166
Watershed Partnership Technical Assistance	203,289	150,000
Program Administration	843,000	743,000
Total	$124,699,301	$30,093,592

Other Proposition 84 Funding for Bay Area Projects

Also allocated from the Bay Area Proposition 84 funds is $1,775,000 to pay for two other Bay Area projects in eastern Contra Costa County—the Pittsburgh Recycled Water Pipeline and ecosystem restoration projects that are part of the County’s Habitat Conservation Program. These funds, as well as $449,843 to update the East Contra Costa County plan, will be managed by the Contra Costa Water District.

The total amount allocated to date from the $138 million in Proposition 84 IRWM for Bay Area projects is $33,160,991.

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North Bay Receives more than $7 Million in Proposition 84 Funding for Water Resources Improvements

MMWD awarded $1.36 million for water recycling and conservation

The North Bay has been awarded more than $7 million in integrated regional water management (IRWM) funds under State Proposition 84. This funding is a part of the overall $33.2 million that has been allocated to Bay Area agencies from the $138 million available for the Bay Area in State Proposition 84.

Proposition 84, passed by voters in 2006, provides $5.4 billion for habitat restoration, water resources improvements and water quality benefits. Of this total, integrated regional water management (IRWM) programs in California will receive $1 billion in funding, of which $138 million is dedicated to the San Francisco Bay Area. The $33.2 million in implementation and planning funding announced today is the first allocation of the $138 million of Proposition 84 IRWM funds for the Bay Area.

“North Bay water resources managers have been collaborating for many years to define the top priorities for ecosystem restoration and water resources improvements,” noted John C. (Jack) Gibson, President of the Board of Directors of the Marin Municipal Water District Board and Chairman of the North Bay Watershed Association, a group of 16 regional and local public agencies. “We are very pleased that North Bay partners have been successful in securing these grant funds, which will provide critical support for priority projects,” Gibson added.

The $7-plus million for the North Bay will support the following programs:

• Water conservation rebate and education programs in Solano, Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties;
• Five recycled water projects in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties;
• Restoration of wetlands at Sears Point;
• Rainwater harvesting pilot projects in Napa;
• Stream restoration work in the North Bay;
• Regional projects on flood plain mapping, steelhead trout monitoring and watershed partnerships that will include North Bay organizations.

Marin Municipal Water District Projects

As part of the funding announced today, $500,000 in Prop. 84 funds will go to the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), to assist in financing an expansion of MMWD’s recycled water system. The addition to the system includes a new pipeline to bring water to the Peacock Gap Golf Course in San Rafael and to other customers along the way. The total cost of the system expansion is estimated to be $10.1 million, with funding to be provided from various sources. MMWD’s recycled water system, operating since 1981, serves more than 350 customers in San Rafael, including parks and other large landscapes, office buildings, car washes, commercial laundries and many others.

An additional $862,500 in Prop. 84 funds will go to MMWD to provide matching funds for water conservation program rebates. These funds will offset some of the cost of high-efficiency toilets and washing machines, as well as weather-based irrigation controllers and water efficient landscaping.

“MMWD continues to diversify its portfolio of sustainable water supply strategies,” said MMWD General Manager Paul Helliker. “This round of funding from Prop. 84 will help us reduce the demand on our reservoirs and on the supplies we purchase from the Sonoma County Water Agency.”

Integrated Regional Water Management Plan

The Bay Area received $842,556 to revise the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. The IRWM Plan was adopted in 2006 by Bay Area counties, cities, water and sanitation districts, flood control agencies and non-profit agencies to define priorities for regional water management projects and guide state grant funding decisions. The plan update, expected to be completed in 2013, will incorporate the latest information on climate change impacts and will include a compilation of best practices to adapt to rising sea levels and changes in precipitation. The Marin Municipal Water District will be managing the plan update, on behalf of the Coordinating Committee.

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